Old Wine and the New Kingdom

In Luke 5:39 Jesus adds a unique saying not found in Matthew or Mark: "And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.'" At first glance, this statement appears to endorse the old over the new. But when read in the context of His teaching about garments and wineskins, the meaning becomes clearer.

Jesus had just explained that His presence was like a wedding feast where fasting was out of place. He then warned that new cloth cannot be sewn onto old garments, nor new wine poured into old wineskins, without damage to both. His point: the coming of the kingdom was not a patch on the old religious system–it was a complete renewal.

The final remark about old wine functions as a sober observation, not an endorsement. Jesus is highlighting the natural resistance people feel toward change. Those who had grown comfortable with the traditions of the Law and the strict patterns of Pharisaic religion could not easily embrace the freshness of His teaching. Just as a person who prefers the mellow taste of aged wine resists the sharpness of new, so many rejected the disruptive newness of the kingdom.

The lesson for us is timeless. Human beings naturally cling to the familiar, even when God is calling them to something greater. Churches may resist change, and individuals may prefer ritual over genuine transformation, because the "old wine" feels safe. Yet Jesus insists that the kingdom cannot be contained in old skins. His way is new, dynamic, and life-giving.

We must ask ourselves: are we content with "the old" simply because it is familiar, or are we willing to taste the new wine of Christ's kingdom?

Faith flourishes not by clinging to the old, but by daring to drink deeply of the new life in Christ.